Quick bottle production changeover utilizing multi-cavity molds in an extrusion blow molding system

摘要

A blow molding apparatus is provided including a blow mold, an extrusion apparatus, a locator mechanism, and a blow pin. The blow mold has first and second blow mold halves which are engageable and disengageable with one another. The first and second blow mold halves define first and second inner cavities when the mold halves are engaged. The first cavity has a first shape and the second cavity has a second shape which differs from the first shape. The extrusion apparatus has a die head through which a parison is extruded. The locator mechanism is associated with one of the blow mold and the extrusion apparatus for changing the positioning between the blow mold and the die head to allow capture of an extruded parison by the first and second mold halves within a desired one of the first and second inner cavities such that the extruded parison can be formed into an article having substantially the same shape as the desired cavity. The blow pin is associated with one of the first and second mold halves for passing pressurized fluid into the interior of the parison to blow the parison against the first and second mold halves to form the article.